1. Field of the General Inventive Concept
The present general inventive concept relates to a method and apparatus to measure hearing ability of a user of a mobile device, and also, to a method and apparatus to measure in real time ear characteristics of a user in an environment of a mobile device.
2. Description of the Related Art
According to recent surveys, one in ten people suffer from hearing loss that could affect the normal perception of voices, music, or other sounds. Although rapid industrialization has improved standards of living, it has also led to increased noise and environmental contamination that can cause hearing loss.
Most people seldom notice their hearing loss. As people tend to not notice their acoustic environment, they are exposed to factors that can cause hearing loss, without taking any protection measures.
In recent years the use of mobile multimedia appliances such as portable FM radios, mp3 players and portable music players (PMPs) has dramatically increased. These appliances provide straightforward access to music, moving pictures and audio signals. These mobile devices can adopt various forms of entertainment and useful applications. In addition, the designs of chips and the durability of batteries have improved sound quality and playback time. It is also possible to listen to music at a high volume by using earphones and other audio receiving devices, without interrupting other people. However, exposure to high sound energy may cause many users to experience hearing loss.
Therefore, there is a need for mobile devices that can inform the user of his/her current hearing ability by measuring the hearing ability, as well as providing optimal sound quality according to the ear frequency characteristics of the user.
Conventional methods of measuring the hearing ability of a user involve reproducing an audio signal and inquiring whether the user can hear the audio signal or not. However, these limited conventional methods do not provide the user any interest or motivation to repeat or continue hearing ability measurements.